As the country is steadfast in fighting corruption, Senator Sicelo Dlamini has alleged that religious practices have been hijacked by corrupt individuals to enrich themselves.
He said corrupt senior government officials hide behind the church and demand 10 per cent shares from government suppliers while stating that even pastors demand 10 per cent shares in exchange for blessings.
Dlamini proposed that in order to curb corruption, the Leadership Code of Conduct Bill should also apply to church leaders.
This was during the third day of the sensitisation workshop on the Bill attended by senators at the Happy Valley Hotel yesterday.
Senator Dlamini concurred with his colleagues that the Bill was long overdue and as such should be prioritised.
“People in leadership positions are hiding behind the church to extort government suppliers who are forced to folk out 10 per cent of their funds to pay off corrupt officials,” he said.
He said some suppliers were forced to folk out 10 per cent to win tenders. Mdluli shared an ordeal involving a church member, who wanted a loan from a bank and the pastor demanded that he gives him 10 per cent should he acquire it. He said the matter ended up in court, where the pastor won the case as they had agreed a deal in principle to get the share.
“This is how this 10 per cent demand started, it is now being abused to promote corruption in our public institutions,” he said. He added that the E5 000 limit was good so they could be able to present tetfulo to their respective chiefs without fear of breaking the law. He said chiefs should accept the cut off amount as demanding more would be greedy and tantamount to selling land which was illegal.
Deputy Senate President Ndumiso Mdluli said the 10 per cent for tithes was in the Bible and should not be abused for corrupt practices. Meanwhile, Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Legal Advisor John Mavuso said it would be unethical to include the 10 per cent for tithes in the Bill as that would mean they were attempting to amend the Bible. He said the Bill was not meant to interfere with religion. Adding, Senator Isaac Magagula warned senior public officials to be cautious about accepting bribes disguised as gifs.
The senator who is also Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Portfolio Committee Chairman said such gifts were long term bribes that people used to demand favours in future. He said there were certain individuals who approached public officers and pretended to be presenting gifts in good faith yet they had ulterior motives.
Magagula said the workshop was a much needed platform where they could make their contributions before the Bill was tabled in parliament for debate and possible adoption.
He said as senators, they were expected and entrusted to uphold integrity while in office and present themselves in a certain way. “We have been assigned into our positions and are expected to uphold honesty and integrity as it is our duty to do so,” he said. Magagula noted that in the past, corruption was not as rife as it was nowadays but trusted that there were still people in public office who had integrity.
